Long ago an angel I knew
If ever a one was seen
She was a bonny sweet child of eight
And I was just eighteen,
And every night she'd sit on my knee
Her arms round my neck and say:
"I love you, I love you,
And when I grow big
Now promise to marry me"

Chorus:
Sweet Heart May,

When you grow up
Some day,
You may marry another
And my heart betray
But I'll wait for you
And then we shall see
What you will do
When I ask you to
Marry me.

2 I went one day
To countries away
To lands overseas to head
Trials and troubles of life I met
As years lay on my head
But every night
I'd think of that child
Her smile and her young love sigh
I longed just to see her grown up
Sweet eighteen, my
May of the days gone bye

Repeat Chorus.

3 I came back again,
And found her at last
In a beautiful woman grown
I asked her to think of those happy days
But the mem'ry was mine alone
I stood there before her I
Sang the old song
She could not recall it then
I begged her to try
She said, "I forgot you
We must part tomorrow
I'm going to be married
Good bye.

Repeat Chorus

Some Notes on this Song

This song was popular in the thirties, when my uncle Linus, the brother of my mother was in Bombay. Since his cousin Joe Tellis was getting engaged to a girl named May, he set this song to music and taught it to my mother, who in turn taught it to her children. Recently my eldest brother Joseph Pais, passed away on 19th of January, and during his funteral, his son, Anil Pais sang this song, as it was a favorite of his father. Here is the music, set by me, on software and converted to mp3 which you hear. If you like this music, and want a copy of the mp3 or the pdf score, please write to me, at
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